About Urban Labs
Science in Service of Cities

“There is still a great amount of work needed to solve the problems that cities face. Urban Labs uses science, data, and evidence-based programs to inform and develop urban policy for the biggest impact possible.”

Michael Nutter
Former Mayor, City of Philadelphia and Executive Fellow, UChicago Urban Labs

Our Approach

Cities fuel remarkable economic, social, educational and cultural progress. At the same time, cities amplify and concentrate dire social problems. The University of Chicago Urban Labs works to address challenges across five key dimensions of urban life: crime, education, health, poverty, and energy & environment. We partner with civic and community leaders to identify, test, and help scale the programs and policies with the greatest potential to improve human lives.